Spring wheel-tire.



W.'B'. MALLORY.

SPRING WHEEL TIRE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY12,1910.

Patented 0011.22, 1912.

2 SHEETSSEEET 2.

AWLQMMMHM l4 73 1 as 52 WILLIAM B. MALLORY, OF HERMOSA, SOUTH DAKOTA.

SPRING WHEEL-TIRE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented a. 22,1912.

Application filed May 12, 1910. Serial No. 560,932.

To aZZ whomnit may concemf Be it known that I, VVILLIAH B. MALLonY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hermosa, in the county of Custer, State of South Dakota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spring Wheel Tires; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, suclras will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in spring wheel tires,

more particularly to the wheels ofautomobiles-and like vehicles, and has for one of its objects to provide a simply constructed device wherein the tire is rigidly supported from lateral movement while free to yield toward the hub under the pressure meident to its use.

Another object of the invent-ion is to provide a Wheel of this character wherein the outer rim is reinforced and supported, and prevented'from lateral movement,- and the supporting elements guarded andprotected from dust and like matter.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction as hereinafter shown and described and then specifically pointed out in the claims; and, in the drawings illustrative of the preferred embodiment of the invention, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a wheel having the improved device attached thereto and partly in section, Fig. 2 is a transverse section, enlarged, on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a plan view of a portion of the felly portion of a wheel with one of the coiled springs attached thereto, illustrating its construction, Fig. 4; is a transverse section, enlarged, on the line 41- 4: of Fig. 1, Fig. 5 is a transverse section, en-

larged, on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrow.

The rim of the wheel to which the improved device is adapted to be attached is formed with an outer flat surface and is represented conventionally at 10 and connected by the spokes 11 to the hub 12. Surrounding the mm 10 and spaced therefrom is an outer rim 13, preferably formed from a continuous steel band equal in width to the rim. Bearing upon the outer surface of the rim 13 is a supplemental tire 14 ofyieldable material, such as rubber, leather, or the like, and is secured by rivets or other suitable fastening means 15 to the rim, and is springs preferably wider than the rim sothat it overhangs the latter at its edges, as shown. The outer face of the member 14 is preferably ribbed or corrugated, as represented at '16, to increase its tractive force, and prevent slipping and sluing.- Located between the inner rim 10 and the outer rim 13. at suitable intervals are coiled springs 17, the springs being preferably in conical shape so that When compressed the convolutions will fold one within the other. outer convolution of each spring is'flattened as shown at 18 and bears against the inner face of the rim 13 transversely thereof and riveted or otherwise secured thereto as shown at 19. The inner terminal convolution of each spring is likewise flattened as shown at 20 and extends transversely of the rim l0 and is secured thereto by screws or other suitable fastening means 21. The fiattened portions .18-20 are so arranged that when the springs are compressed the flat tened port-ions will lie alongside of each other, and notbear one upon the other, so that the springs may be compressed to their fullest extent without interfering with the flattened portions. By this arrangement if the pressure is suflicient the outer rim will be spaced from the inner rim by a distance equal to the thickness of the wire which composes the springs, as will be obvious. Any required numberof the springs 17 may be employed.

Connected between the inner rim LC and the outer rim l3'at suitable intervals are a plurality of resilient brace members 22- 23 25 to the inner rim. The braces are thus arranged in reversed relationsand bear at theirouter ends against the inner face of the tire 13. The free ends of the braces are slotted longitudinally as represented at 26, and are movably connected to the rim by clamp bolts 28-29.

By so securing the resilient brace members any strain exerted upon the tire to compress the same is taken up by the 17, said springs being but slightly The 1 movement thereof.

reinforced by the braces because of the sliding of the slotted ends of. the latter. If however the compression becomes excessive these resilient braces after having moved as for as possible act as reinforcing springs for the springs 17 to assist them in stiffening the tire and also to prevent any creeping Connected between the rim and the outer rim 13 at suitable. intervals are other diagonal supporting members, preferably formed of sections of chains 30 31, and connected at their ends with the inner rim and outer rim at opposite sides and crossing each other centrally thereof, as shown in F ig. 4=. By this means the outer rim 13 is firmly supported from lateral movement. The spring 17 the longitudinal braces 22-23 and the transverse braces 3031 thus coact to rigidly support the outer rim against lateral and longitudinal movement thereof, while at the same time permitting'the necessary yieldable movement toward and away from the inner rim.

Connected to the outer rim 13 at its opposite edges are skirt or' cover members 32---33, of rubber, leather, canvas, or the like, and extend at their inner edges over the sides of the rim 10 and are secured together around the rim 10 by suitable lacings 34. tually to protect the various springs and braces from injury, while at the same time excluding dust, dirt, rain, snow and the like. In event of the breakage or impair- The-skirt members thus serve eifec without danger of being punctured or otherwise injured when traveling over rough roads.

What is claimed is The combination with a wheel including an inner rim, an endless resilient outer rim s 'iaced from the inner rim, a plurality of coiled springs connected at their ends respectively to the inner rim and the outer rim,

a plurality of brace chains connecting said inner rim and outer rim, a plurality of resilient braces arranged in oppositely disposed pairs, one endpf each of said braces being rigidly secured to the inner rim while its opposite end is .slidably secured to the outer rim, flexible skirt members connected to said outer rim and bearing over the side of the inner rim, and means for detachably connecting said skirt member to the inner r m. i

In testimony whereof, aflix my signa- ';ure, in presence of two witnesses.

I WVILLIAM B. MALLORY.

Witnesses VViLLIAM E. Fo KEn, Gnonon STRONG. 

